Trump says he might meet Putin in Saudi Arabia after call on Ukraine

• Trump also seemed to make key concessions on Ukraine's behalf ahead of any such talks, saying: "I don't think it is practical for Ukraine to have NATO membership" and that it's "unlikely that Ukraine gets all of its land back."
• However, Trump later said that he thought "some of that land will come back" to Ukraine.
• Earlier on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ruled out a role for U.S. troops in guaranteeing Ukraine's postwar security and called on Ukraine to give up on reclaiming all of its occupied territory.

The latest: Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump floated the idea of meeting Putin in Saudi Arabia, along with the Saudi crown prince.

• He did not lay out a timeline and said he would deal with Putin on the phone in the meantime.
• The phone call and potential meeting — along with a prisoner swap announced Tuesday — are signs the frozen U.S.-Russian relationship is thawing.

The other side: Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday to brief him on the conversation with Putin.

• Zelensky wrote on X that his phone call with Trump was "meaningful" and focused on the "opportunities to achieve peace."
• "No one wants peace more than Ukraine. Together with the U.S., we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace. As President Trump said, let's get it done," Zelensky wrote.

Between the lines: In an interview with the Economist published on Wednesday, Zelensky had said he'd had little contact with Trump's team and raised concerns about "any decision-making" on Ukraine taking place without Kyiv's involvement.

Zoom in: Trump wrote on Truth Social that his call with Putin was "lengthy and highly productive" and that they discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, energy, artificial intelligence, "the power of the Dollar" and other issues.

• "We each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together. But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine," Trump wrote.
• Trump added that during the call Putin used his "Campaign motto of common sense. We both believe very strongly in it."
• He said they both agreed to work closely together and visit each other's countries.

Driving the news: The call came a day after the U.S. and Russia implemented a deal for the release of American detainee Marc Fogel.

• On Wednesday, one U.S. citizen and two Belarusian nationals, one of whom worked for Radio Liberty, were released from detention by the Belarusian government, two White House officials said.
• A White House official said the three are currently at the U.S. embassy in Lithuania and their identity wasn't being released out of respect for their privacy.

• The official said the U.S. didn't release any prisoners in return.

The U.S. did release a Russian crypto-hacker named Alexander Vinnik as part of the exchange for Fogel, two White House officials said.

• Vinnik was extradited to the U.S. in 2022 and two years later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
• In recent months he'd been awaiting sentencing.
• As part of the deal, Vinnik is forfeiting $100 million in digital assets to the U.S. government, the White House officials said.

Behind the scenes: White House officials say the deal to release Fogel was in the works for many days but took its final shape in the last 72 hours.

• White House national security adviser Mike Waltz, special envoy Steve Witkoff and officials from the State Department and the CIA were all involved in the negotiations.

One of the people involved on the Russian side was the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, Kirill Dmitriev, Witkoff told reporters on Wednesday.

• "He was bridging between the two sides," Witkoff said.

Another key mediator was Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who Witkoff said was "instrumental" in getting the deal.

• "He has a very strong friendship with President Trump. He encouraged and pushed behind the scenes. He was a cheerleader for the deal and for the two leaders to come together," Witkoff said.
• Trump said bin Salman would likely take part in his potential meeting with Putin.

What's next: Trump said he asked Waltz, Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA director John Ratcliffe to lead the negotiations with Russia and Ukraine.

• Trump wrote on Truth Social after his call with Zelensky that Vice President Vance and Rubio will meet Zelensky on Friday in Munich to start discussing peace talks with Russia.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details.